Patents and standards readings

Readings: patents 

About Patents and Patent Searching http://www.patscan.ca/ 

Canadian Patent Searching https://web.archive.org/web/20050511142744/http://vrl.tpl.toronto.on.ca/helpfile/bu_c0012.html 
A brief guide to sources of information on Canadian patent searching compiled by Toronto Public Library. Last updated: July 23, 2003. 

Canadian Intellectual Property Office: A Guide to Patents http://www.cipo.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr03652.html 

Canadian Patents Database: Help: FAQ http://brevets-patents.ic.gc.ca/opic-cipo/cpd/eng/help/faq/help_faq_content.html

*Patents https://web.archive.org/web/20090623155530/http://www.patentable.com/practice_patents.htm
Information on patents from a firm of Canadian lawyers specializing in intellectual property. 

United States Patent Searching https://web.archive.org/web/20040915231608/http://vrl.tpl.toronto.on.ca/helpfile/bu_u0003.html

A brief guide to sources of information on United States patent searching compiled by Toronto Public Library. Last updated: July 22, 2003. Online sources for patents Canadian Intellectual Property Office http://www.cipo.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/home

Patents https://web.archive.org/web/20030626150910/http://www.umanitoba.ca/libraries/units/engineering/patents.html Links compiled by the D. W. Craik Engineering Library at the U of M. 

E-Reference for: Patents/Trade-marks http://ereference.uwaterloo.ca/display.cfm?categoryID=19&catHeading=Patents%20/%20Trade-marks
Provides links to databases for Canadian and U.S. patents and trade-marks, worldwide patents and patents in specialized areas. Compiled by University of Waterloo Library. 

Internet Resources for Patents https://web.archive.org/web/20100609202829/http://www2.lib.udel.edu/subj/patents/internet.htm
Subject guide from University of Delaware Library. 

Readings: standards
*Canadian Standards Association. Frequently Asked Questions. Why Standards Matter http://www.csagroup.org/ca/en/services/codes-and-standards?language=ENGLISH 

National Standards Development https://web.archive.org/web/20060118074518/http://www.scc.ca/en/programs/standards/ntlstandards.shtml

*Standards Council of Canada. Standards http://www.scc.ca/en/standards 

Standards Council of Canada. Frequently Asked Questions http://www.scc.ca/en/help/faqs Online sources for standards 

Standards https://web.archive.org/web/20030626152958/http://www.umanitoba.ca/libraries/units/engineering/standards.html
Links compiled by the D. W. Craik Engineering Library at the U of M. 

E-Reference for Standards/Codes http://ereference.uwaterloo.ca/display.cfm?categoryID=22&catHeading=Standards%20%20Codes 
Provides links to central standards agencies, specialized societies that also write standards, and other collections of links. Compiled by the University of Waterloo. 

Standards & Specifications Written By Scholarly Societies http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/society/standards.html 
Provides links to the homepages of scholarly and professional organizations and their standards and specifications, for when you already know which organization developed the standard being sought.

Standards
https://library.cf.ryerson.ca/guides/view/?guide=701 
Research guide from Ryerson University Library. 

Standards and Codes 
http://guides.library.utoronto.ca/standardsandcodes 
Guide from Engineering and Computer Science Library, University of Toronto

Patents and standards

U.S. Patent 4,608,967 to Ralph R. Piro: Pat On the Back Apparatus http://colitz.com/site/4608967/fig1.gif 
What is a patent?

• Patents are governmental grants that give inventors exclusive rights to their inventions for up to 20 years in Canada
• Only “inventions” are patentable
• In Canada, patents are a form of “intellectual” property Types of intellectual property
• Patents: cover new inventions (process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter), or any new and useful improvement of an existing invention
• Trade-marks: are words, symbols or designs (or a combination of these), used to distinguish the wares or services of one person or organization from those of others in the marketplace
• Copyrights: provide protection for artistic, dramatic, musical or literary works (including computer programs), and three other subject-matter known as performance, sound recording, and communication signal
• Industrial design: are the visual features of shape, configuration, pattern or ornament (or any combination of these features), applied to a finished article of manufacture
• Integrated circuit topographies: refer to the three-dimensional configuration of the electronics circuits embodied in integrated circuit products or layout designs 
• Plant breeders’ rights: apply to certain new plant varieties

Intellectual property http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr03685.html

Patents 

• Are country specific 
• A Canadian patent protects an invention only in Canada 
• Must meet 3 basic criteria 
• New
• Useful
• Ingenious 
• In Canada given to 1st inventor to file an application 

Why search patents? 

• 80% of patent information never disclosed or published elsewhere
• Patents contain specific technical detail, research data and drawings
• Patents and patent application often published before academic papers on subject
• To assess relevant market trends 
• To know competitor patent portfolio 
• To avoid infringement situations 

What is a standard?

• A document that establishes accepted practices, technical requirements or terminology for a particular product, service, system, or field
• In a broad sense, a standard is anything that tells you how to do, test or identify something. Standards Council of Canada. Frequently Asked Questions. http://www.scc.ca/en/faq-what-is-a-standard 
• Standards are documented agreements containing technical specifications or other precise criteria to be used consistently as rules, guidelines, or definitions of characteristics, to ensure that material, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose. ISO http://www.iso.org/iso/home/standards.htm 
• A document, established by consensus and approved by a recognised body, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or definitions of characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context. The ISO/IEC Guide2:1996 

Who develops standards?

• Committees of expert stakeholders which are usually organized and managed by an organization that specializes in the development of standards
• Standards are formulated by Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs), usually a government agency, technical or trade association, professional society or association, international or regional organization or a private company 

Standards 

• In principle most standards are voluntary 
• In practice, the demands of the marketplace mean many standards are effectively mandatory 
• Government legislation may make some standards mandatory, e.g. electrical codes
• The Standards Council of Canada, a crown corporation, coordinates the Canadian standards system and represents Canada on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 

Selected Canadian standards organizations 

• Canadian Standards Association (CSA) 
• Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) 
• Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ) 
• Underwriters’ Laboratories of Canada (ULC)

International standards

• International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 
• A non-government organization established to promote the development of standardization and related activities in the world with a view to facilitating the international exchange of goods and services, and to developing cooperation in the sphere of intellectual, scientific, technological and economic activity 
• Covers all technical fields except electrical and electronic engineering standards
• ISO is not an acronym, it is a word derived from the Greek isos meaning equal
• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) http://www.iec.ch/
• Prepares and publishes international standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies

Mechanical engineering

Hurt, C.D. Informational Sources in Science and Technology, 3rd ed. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 1998. p. 219

Mechanical engineering is somewhat like electrical engineering. Both cover large areas and have histories of research and data gathering on a large scale. The data gathering appears in the literature as an impressive array of handbook materials. Mechanical engineering has close contacts with physics and other fields. It is no longer restricted to large-scale machinery, if it ever was. It now deals with systems from massive to micro. While this may make the provision of information for mechanical engineers more difficult, there is reasonably good control of the literature in the field.

Materials science

Hurt, C.D. Informational Sources in Science and Technology, 3rd ed. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 1998. p. 211

Materials science is a fascinating area. It deals with extant materials and materials no one has thought of yet. As such, it relies on some esoteric techniques and the literatures of a variety of different areas. Because materials science has a long history, the literature that produces it is reasonably well controlled. This is especially true relative to the rest of engineering and science.

Industrial engineering

Hurt, C.D. Informational Sources in Science and Technology, 3rd ed. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 1998. p. 203

Industrial engineering is broad to the extreme. There is overlap in this section with chemical engineering, civil engineering, and virtually every other engineering area. It will not be a surprise to discover that the literature is not controlled very well.

The focus of industrial engineering is production. This focus drives this section to such broad limits. In seeking information in this area, be sure that all aspects of the requests are examined, not just the production aspect.

Electrical Engineering

Hurt, C.D. Informational Sources in Science and Technology, 3rd ed. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 1998. p. 193.

Electrical engineering is immense in scope. Everything from microelectronics to the heaviest high-tension transmission lines lies within the discipline. The electrical engineer can be classified as anything from a lab-coated researcher to a field-oriented technician. 

Electrical engineering is a field with a great deal of research movement and a long history of data gathering, both of which are important components in the professional duties of the engineer. The information must be both specific and current. 

The literature of electrical engineering is well controlled. There are excellent abstracts and indexes available. The one area that is not well covered is gray literature. This is not a problem specific to electrical engineering, however.

Engineering/Technology

Malinowsky, H. R. Reference Sources in Science, Engineering, Medicine and Agriculture. Phoenix, Ariz. ; Oryx Press, 1994. pp. 118-119.

Engineering is the application of scientific or physical knowledge to the development of a product. Technology refers to the tools that are used to develop these products. Engineering is an old profession dating to the times before Christ, but it has become a highly technical field relying on “cutting edge technology.” The results of engineering surround our existence, but to achieve these results engineers consume an enormous amount of research and development time. Today’s engineering researchers have to have a strong background in the sciences. 

Specialization is the basis of all engineering. These specialized subfields include:

• Agricultural Engineering—an expanding field that is concerned with developing better ways to produce food and fibers. It includes machinery, plant engineering, genetic engineering, and soil engineering and works closely with areas of science such as chemistry, medicine, nutrition, botany, zoology, and environmental science.
• Chemical Engineering—a discipline that studies how basic raw materials, such as ores, salts, sulfur, limestone, coal, natural gas, petroleum, air, and water are converted into a variety of products through various chemical processes. These products include aluminium, magnesium, and titanium metals; fuels; solvents; synthetic fertilizers; resins; plastics; antibiotics; paper; and petrochemicals.
• Civil Engineering—a field that is basically concerned with the planning, design, construction, and management of any work project or facility, including buildings, structures, transportation facilities, water resource projects, dams, bridges, power generation plants, roads, harbors, river management, canals, wastewater facilities, sanitation facilities, soil mechanics, and foundations. Specialized areas within civil engineering include building engineering, structural engineering, highway engineering, transportation engineering, bridge engineering, tunnel engineering, coastal engineering, harbor and river engineering, dam engineering, hydraulics engineering, sanitary engineering, engineering geology, and soils engineering.
• Electrical Engineering—an area that is concerned with the development of electrical power through any number of processes, including generators, wind, solar, water, and nuclear means. It is closely related to electronics, which is the control and use of electricity.
• Engineering Design—an area that covers the initial creation of systems, devices, and processes. It is actually a part of all areas of engineering, with each engineer practicing engineering design.
• Environmental Engineering—a fast expanding field concerned with all aspects of the environment and how to protect it. It includes such concerns as pollution, pesticide control, cleaner air, waste, ecology, and nuclear safety. These engineers work closely with engineers in all areas to ensure the best environmental conditions possible.
• Industrial Engineering—the branch of engineering that uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry to design, improve, and install integrated systems that involve people, materials, equipment, and energy. In other words, it is the branch of engineering that seeks to improve efficiency. It is concerned with machines, robotics, materials, energy, and management.
• Mechanical Engineering—this field of engineering is the application of physics in the development of any useful product. There is a little bit of mechanical engineering in all fields of engineering, including engineering graphics, robotics, engineering instruments, mechanics, strains and stresses, strength of materials, and testing.
• Mining Engineering—the area that is concerned with all aspects of mining for minerals and hard fuels, such as coals. Liquid fuels are part of Petroleum Engineering.
• Nuclear Engineering—the broad area of engineering that is concerned with all aspects of producing energy through the use of nuclear power.
• Petroleum Engineering—the study of producing oil and gas from the well to the consumer. 

This chapter has taken all of these disciplines and grouped them into the following subcategories:

• General Engineering/Technology
• Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
• Civil Engineering, Building, and Construction
• Electrical and Electronics Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Industry and Manufacturing
• Mechanical Engineering
• Transportation 

The major indexing service for engineering research is the Engineering Index. The engineering field is the major developer of handbooks. The first handbooks were intended to be a one-volume reference work that could be carried around in an engineer’s pocket. Today, however, many of these handbooks are larger and more comprehensive.